Card-filing desk



o. G. HOB/IRT. CARD FILING DESI APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28,1921.

1,427,957', PatentedSept. 5, 1922.

Patented Sept., 5, i922.

raves? ras/ir carica.

GHAUNGEY G.K`HOBART, OFCHCAGO, ILLINOIS.

` canto-ritme prisa.

Apiincauqn fusa noventa 23,' 1921.` sei-iai no. '518,347'.

To allwwmzt may concern.' 1"

Be it known that l, CHA'NGEY G. Honan'r, a citizen ofthe 'United States, 'residingat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State `or" lllinoiS, have invented a? certain new vand useful improvement in Card-F iling` Desks, of which the following isr a specification.

l'n large oflices a filing vclerk having a large number of cards or other documents to take care of, has heretofore been equipped with a writing table, desk, orfother suitable device, bordered byr side tables or cases containing card drawers or boxes. Under these conditions, when the operator needs to write on a card in, or file a new card in one of the sets of cards, it is necessary to move the card container from its side position onto the desk in front of the operator; there perform the iiling operation, and then return that particular card container to its place at the side of the desk. As successive cards handled are apt to be located on opposite sides of the desk, this operation requires a pivoting action by the' operator accompanied by repeated lifting of the heavy boxes of cards, thus causing a needless consumption of both strength and time. in order to remove these objections just pointed out, the device of this invention has been perfected to in actual test reduce the labor' and consequent expense of such a filing system about thirty per cent.

rlhe object of the invention is to provide a device capable of attaining the above result. f

rlChe invention consists in providing a desk with top perforations forthe reception yof cards so supported that their tops are only slightly below the upper surface lol the table, in the particular caseillustrated, with permanently attached boxes below the surface of the desk and in register'with said openings, whereby when the table is loaded with cards the top of the table is still substantially fiat for the reception of large flat documents, while every card isaccessible to the operator sitting in central position in front of the desk. The invention further consists in many features and details of construction7 hereafter more fullyr set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals denote ylike parts throughout the several views,

Figure l is a perspective view of a desk illustrating` `this invention'in its preferred form.

Figure 2 is ak Figure l. v n

Figure 3 is a sectional detail view with `a card compartment onsithe line 3 3, Figure 2. y ,y ,v

` The device may be applied to anyy conventional desk lhaving ja top 12 before which the operator sits yin central position 14. The particular desk 'shown happens to have vertical sets of drawers 16 and 18 on yopposite sides of the operator.

rlhe top 12 of the desk is provided with plurality of oblong perforations 20, 22, 24., 26, 28 and 30 arranged as near as may be radially of the central position, occupied by the operator in front of the desk. `Below each one of these perforations is a card supporting device which in theparticular case here illustrated takes the form of a permanent card box 32, adapted to receive the liling cards 34 of conventional construction, and preferably but not necessarily adapted to be closed by a removable cover 36. In the particular case here illustrated the cards 34 are of sucha height that when hunched in normal position, as shown, they extend up to the bottom face of the cover 36, when in desired to use the cover36, taller cards may be used so that they extend up to approximately the upper flat surface of the desk top l2.

plan'view of the desk of ln the operation ofthe device, the various compartments .20-30 inclusive are partially orwholly stocked with cards. Theoperator now takes his or her place in front of the desk, and in the ordinary manner removes a single card for notation thereon, placing`A it meanwhile on the central 88 of the desk, or if additional cards are to be filed, inserts them in the various proper compartments 20-30 as may be required.

@wing to the fact that the cards dor not extend above the surface of the desk, the operator can spread over at 'the particular pointwhere a card is beingI inserted or removed, large fiat papers,

- such as maps or drawings, without interferreceptacles,

enceby the cards in the various a thing which would be impossible where one or morey boxes of cards are placed on top of a flat desk, as inprevious practice.

ill/lien the covers 36 are provided and no tiling is to be done, these covers may be put place. lf, however, it is not? flat-area the desk, except f in place and the desk used like any ordinary flat desk. l

The device is most readily adaptable to cards of any size, but is by no ineans limited to either the size or material of ordinary filing cards.

Having thus described niy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a device of the class described, a normally flat top desk, provided with a plu rality of elongated surface perforations arranged radially about a users position adjacent toy the desk, each adapted to hold a plurality of vertically' disposed filing cards positioned with their top edges normally lying,` in a horizontal plane, adjacent to the upper surface of the desk, so as tobe readily accessible through said perforations in the top of the desk, and means for so supportingy said cards.

2. In a device of the class described, a

normally -flat top desk, provided with a plurality of elongated surface perforations arranged radially about a nsers position adjacent to the desk, each adapted to hold a plurality oi vertically disposed tiling cards positioned with their top` edges normally lying' in a horizontal plane, adjacent to the upper surface of the desk, so as to be readily accessible through said perforations in the top of the desk, means for so supporting said cards, and. a cover insertable in each ol said perforations adapted to render the top or' the desk a Hat, continuous Workingl sur- )face Whenever the cards are not in use.

ln witness whereof, l have hereunto subscribed rny naine in the presence of two Witnesses.

CHAUNCEY Gr. HGBART.

Witnessesz DWIGHT B. Cnnnvnn, RACHEL MINTZ. 

